Day 31 - SkyLines from the French Lock-down:Take a Break

Bonjour tous le monde! (Hello everybody!)
 Surprise - today we took a break. It seems like everybody is super busy trying to keep themselves distracted.  Today, we decided just to hang out a bit. It may be the thing we all need the most - a real break from the new routine of being under quarantine.

Life on hold - no village workers to cut the weeds.

Day 31 - We woke to the sound of the wind howling up the narrow street. Because we could, we just went back to sleep for a while. By the time we got up it had died down to a cool breeze that made me wonder if spring had ever really managed to beat back winter this year. But the sun was shining and that made it easier to deal with the idea that I would have to wear double layers today. 

At first, we made the mistake of sticking to our routine. We ate then read the news, me in English, and Y, my French partner, in his native language. Normally, this is a time of happy

At least there is some good news.
The numbers in ICUs are falling.

contemplation. It's our zen moment. Coffee, smiles, and stretching our feet out under the table for as long as we wish after breaking our fast is one of the great pleasures of our lives together. But this morning we were both feeling the strain - the news was not great. 

Europe was talking about not opening the borders to outside visitors until the fall and Japan had to go back to lock-down after a false start. The restaurants and cafes are not sure how they can hang on until May or longer and nobody is quite sure how to start opening up the schools again. (French schools are usually in session throughout the month of June, so there would be a month and a half of schooling, if they can figure out how to do it.) The curve has dropped seven days in a row now for those being admitted to Réanimation (Intensive Care Units)   But, sadly, the death toll continues to climb.


Then there was all the sad bickering on the social media trying to put blame somewhere. As if that would help?  It was time to unplug again and take a break from being connected to anything outside of our control. So,Y went off to shave and I rolled out the yoga mat. The phone went back on airplane mode and I chose the seventh dance play list for my morning exercise music. Ah... that made it better. 

Because we'd had fun making a de-stress video for our equally quarantined friends, we planned the second one. It went to plan with several gaffs, but that's part of the fun!  The aim is to make

an 8-10 minute video inviting anyone who wants to join in to shake out the stress, stretch and breathe and then try a core challenge exercise in 20 second segments with 10 seconds of rest.  I tried using a timer and made a mess of that, but it was funny. Then I looked up and Y was filming from the top of the canapé (that's couch in French). He's so agile, he makes it look easy. The cat never made an appearance this time. In fact she's been notably good all day.  Maybe it was the sight of Y balancing on the back of the canapé.  Or maybe she was just taking a break today - cats know how to take care of their stress. 

We decided that the next thing to do was nothing at all for a couple of hours. No cleaning, no tv,

The cat takes a break

no language lessons, no internet. Just lazing on the couch, reading or sorta thinking.  At the end of the afternoon, I went to check on some neighbors who are considered older - though you'd never know it -they are both so young in mind and at heart. Happily they are fine. They also see this moment as a break from the ordinary world. They'd rather be doing a hundred other things too, but they have a positive attitude and are just hanging out like the rest of us.

We've all been trying so hard to fill the hours of this confinement.  Whether its endless cleaning, organizing the files, the house, the kids,  learning a new skill, working on a project or even exercising, we are all pushing ourselves into a new kind of normal.  But maybe today, just take a break.  Pretend it's a Sunday in that world we used to live in.  

Our break was over - it was time to replenish our now empty store of essential food and house products that we can't buy in the village shops. We each made a list to reduce the amount of time we'd be in contact with the public. Y opted to go on his bike pulling the little wagon we call "Le Chariot." It's a full fledged towing box

I may have a hat addiction....

that can hold a whole grocery cart's worth of goods.  I took my car.

It had been a month since we went to the big supermarket and stood in a long line outside with shopping carts at a meter apart. Because I'd worn a red turtleneck, I chose the red beret for the outing. But it didn't give me the lift it usually does.  Parking was easy in the nearly empty lot. There was no line outside or inside the cavernous building. The store was quiet and almost spooky. People looked so sad. I noticed something when I got home and parked my car.  I've only driven 15 miles since March 17th!  Yep - I may even get more than three months to the gallon if this keeps up.  Let's hope it doesn't. 

So, I didn't write. I didn't cook. I hardly read a thing. Tomorrow, I'll try to get back into some of my forgotten writing projects. Maybe. But today, we took a break. we only did fun or necessary things. Now it's time to binge watch some French TV series - like the new one we love that's set on the Island of Réunion. It's tropical, it's lighthearted and a million miles from the world as we all know it right now.  It's us, taking a break.

If you want to join in, click here for today's video 

Does it feel like life has been put on hold and that everything is about to change forever? Yeah, we feel it too. But one thing hasn't changed. You - you are very important in our lives. We are thinking of you and trying to think of ways to make you smile. And here's a positive thought - Something amazing is going on also because of this crisis. People are working together in a way that humans have never done before. Hang on to that brightness and give yourself a break.

A demain, nos amis! (Until tomorrow, our friends!) Link to Day 32